In the jungle, the mighty jungle

We just returned this afternoon from our trip to Huaticocha, a small village in the Ecuador rainforest. The trip to Huaticocha was long - we accidentally caught the wrong bus and what should have been a 5 hour trip turned into a 10+ hour trip....we didn't make the same mistake returning though!  If you want to check it out on a map, we were headed from Quito to a place near Sumaco National Park, but we ended up going to Nueva Loja, then down to Coca, then back!

Huaticocha is absolutely beautiful, and while the trip there was long it was also breathtakingly beautiful. Every leaf, every hill, every waterfall...our God is so creative and such an artist. Taking in the beauty, and being reminded that this is just a small glimpse of God's creation was incredible. The accommodations there were much nicer than I thought they would be. This past year they finished the construction of a guest house there. The rooms remind me of the inside of a simple log cabin, and there were mosquito nets above the beds and a small table. John and I got to share a room which was much needed...only the second time so far that's happened on the trip.  No running water, however, so we only took one bucket bath in the creek during our time there.

The food there was pretty good as well. I've never had fruit juices as amazing as the ones we have here daily. The fruit is so fresh and sweet...starting off every day with fresh fruit juice has become a highlight! We definitely felt like we were in the jungle.  The missionaries said that we were less than 100km from the place where the Waodani people live, the subjects of the Jim Elliot story.

The Amazing Race the first day there was intense. We went hiking down the side of a large hill in the middle of the jungle...slipping and sliding down the mud. It's the Amazon rainforest so it rains every day...so we wore large rubber boots and made our way to a beautiful waterfall. The majesty of that hidden gem was incredible, and we got to take some time to cool off there and swim. John and I can now officially say we've swum through a waterfall in the Amazon! The hike back from the waterfall though was absolutely grueling....after lots of frustration and tears we made it back to where we were staying....but for me (Katie) that was the end of the Amazing Race. John and I talked to two of the leaders afterwards about how physically intense everything was and they gave us the option to "opt out" of the race...we would still participate in most everything the group does, but we would no longer be competing. For me the decision was a no-brainer...I was so exhausted! John finished off that day of the Amazing Race and then opted out as well to be with me.

The Amazing Race training has been a nice way to learn the ways of the cities and see beautiful places, but it's been challenging as well.  John commented in the jungle that he felt like he had brought such an American value system to these places - while going through majestic once-in-a-lifetime places, our #1 priority was to get there and get back as quickly as possible.  While the challenges in themselves aren't necessarily physically out of our reach, the pace is.  We don't feel quite as young, or as in-shape, as these younger interns.  Consequence of our desk jobs, and quite a few more years, and more injuries, I suppose.

Yesterday was the second day of the Amazing Race in Huaticocha and the first day John and I didn't participate in the race for a whole day....and it was absolutely beautiful. We finally felt like we were able to slow down and enjoy the beauty around us, and had the opportunity to engage in a lot more conversations with incredible people, especially Mark and Cheryl Schafer. Mark and Cheryl have an incredible story of how God led them to Huaticocha, leaving behind a construction business in the United States that they owned and following God's call to share the gospel with the people of the rainforest. They are in the process of building a school there where they will be training up missionaries...its a beautiful vision. They are planning on opening the school in the coming year, and I have no doubt they and the leadership staff around them will be raising up some incredible disciples.

Yesterday we climbed up a really large hill, at the top of which is a school. It was a tough climb, but being able to climb it with John at our own pace made it so enjoyable. When we got close to the top the kids started coming down. Mark asked them if they'd like to help us up, and their faces lit up! Immediately they ran down and helped us carry up our bags and things. At the top of the hill we went into their school building...one medium sized room where all the kids learn together with one teacher. There were kids age 5 to 14...and that's their school. It was hard to realize what a disadvantage they have...most of them won't go beyond a 6th grade level in school. However, there was also something beautiful about these children. They had so many smiles on their faces and were so eager to learn. They were so excited to share who their siblings and cousins were...they all acted like a family. While they don't have much, love for one another is rich there.

By far the highlight for me yesterday was in the evening....we gathered around a fire and debriefed the day, and then had a beautiful time of worship. The time of worship was so incredible. I've really been missing singing...living in close quarters with so many people 24/7 hasn't really allowed time for singing...but last night we sang to the Lord. Cheryl leaned over during worship and asked if I'd lead everyone in singing 10,000 Reasons...it wasn't til that moment that I realized how much I missed singing, and what an absolute privilege it is to sing to the King. Last night was a time of lifting up praise to God, seeing Him at work and feeling so honored that He's called us to serve Him. We still don't know exactly what this summer will look like in Trujillo, but it's an honor to be called to serve the King. I'm excited for the journey!

Thank you all for your prayers. God is so good!